It's Time To Rise Up!

A Word by Madeline James

One morning a couple weeks ago I woke up, and when my feet hit the ground I heard the Lord say, "The time is now." I began to inquire of the Lord and I ask what He meant, and He led me to Song of Songs 8:5, "Who is this one? Look at her now! She arises out of her desert, clinging to her beloved. When I awakened you under the apple tree, as you were feasting upon me, I awakened your innermost being with the travail of birth as you longed for more of me." Many of you have been in a desert season, but the Lord is calling you forth to arise, and saying its time. Your time. Time in the Hebrew is not necessarily equated to a linear time span. Time is representative of a season, or a window time span open in the realm of the spirit. We can find out more about this in Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes 3 talks about times and seasons under heaven. We must learn to discern the time and season we're in, and discern the season we need to step into.

Many have prophesied stepping into 2020 is not just another year or decade, it's a new era. There is a new kingdom dispensation getting ready to be released and manifest upon the earth. The books of heaven are opening up to new chapters. Where many of you have been in transition, dormancy, wilderness, God has been positioning for you to arise and emerge on the scene in this new era. What does it mean to arise? Arise means to become apparent, emerge, to rise from a sitting or laying down position (dictionary.com).To go a little deeper lets look at the definition of emerge. Emerge is to come into view from concealment, into sight, to become manifest (dictionary.com). The hidden ones are coming into view in this season.

How does one arise from the desert and trying seasons, and what does arising do? Lets take a look at Isaiah 52:1-2 TPT, "Wake up! Open your eyes! Beautiful Zion, put on your majestic strength! Jerusalem, the sacred city, put on your glory garments! Never again will the unclean enter your gates! Arise and shake off your dust! Sit enthroned, Jerusalem! Break off your shackles of bondage from your neck, you captive daughter of Zion!" There is a wind of awakening being released in this season, that is breaking the slumber and dullness of the past season off of you. It's time to open your eyes and look again. Where your vision has been cloudy and dull, 2020 vision is being restored.

As you arise, its time to put on your majestic garments of strength and your glory garments on. Who took your strength in this past reason? What came to steal the glory the Lord has bestowed upon your life? Garments are significant and identify who you are and what you function in. Sometimes we can allow our season, others, or the enemy to put garments on us that are not ours. What we wear will influence how we carry and see ourselves. Our garments carry our identity, authority, and the anointing and skills needed for each season. Don't allow your season to define you. Define your season by walking in who you are in Christ. You were made to carry His glory and shine bright. Don't let others or your season snuff out your light. When we put on the garments of who we are we shut the door to the enemy having access in our life.

In Isaiah 52:2 Isaiah tells us, "To arise and shake off your dust!" What was meant to bury you in last season is going to launch you in this season. You have to make the choice to arise. Nobody else can make that decision for you. When you arise you must shake the dust off. The dust is the residue of the trials and situations you've walked through. Residue can be defined as something that remains after a part is removed (dictionary.com). Residue is a reminder. The Lord doesn't want you to stay stuck or be reminded of the negative. He wants to take the bitter taste out of your mouth.

The next part of the verse after Isaiah tells us to shake it off, he says to, "sit enthroned!" That means once you shake off the residue, sit in your seat of authority. Ephesians 2:6 says, "God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." We have to take the fight to the spirit, and fight from the place of victory and who we are in Christ. Victory isn't something we strive for, it's something we walk in. When we walk in victory we can break off the shackles of bondage that ensnare us (Isaiah 52:2).

Beloved I want to encourage you to arise in this season. Shake off the dust and residue of this past season. Put on your strength and glory garments. Grab a hold of what God has for you and run with it.

Prophet Madeline James